Typewriter ribbon changing apparatus



Feb. 10, 1959 4, A, GRAY "2,873,015

TYPEWRITER RI BBON CHANGING APPARATUS Original Filed Sept. 21, 1953 H l I g ,7 Flq. 3

INVENTOR J A M ES ABLE GRAY ATTO RN EYS United States PatentO TYPEWRITER RIBBON CHANGING APPARATUS James Able Gray, Fort Jay, N. Y., assignor to Royal McBee Corporation, Port Chester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 381,359, September 21, 1953. This application May 17, 1957, Serial No. 659,903

2 Claims. (Cl. 197-151) which enables the inked printing ribbon to be quickly and easily installed upon and/or removed from a typewriter or like printing machine without the necessity for handling or touching the inked printing ribbon at any time.

Replacement of inked printing ribbons has always required some physical handling to thread them through a ribbon vibrator or elevator and as a consequence has usually resulted in soiled fingers for the person replacing such ribbons.

This invention is an apparatus for carrying an inked printing ribbon in a cartridge comprising two substantially closed ribbon spool or reel containers which are retained in close proximity prior to installation on a typewriter by means automatically removable therefrom upon installation on a typewriter. The ribbon spools are prewound and placed in the containers with the ribbon extending between said containers through openings in the containers. The portion of the ribbon between the containers carries an elevator frame, through which the ribbon is prethreaded, which is securely held by container, or cartridge extensions whereby, uponinstallation, the elevator frame is automatically pressed into a ribbon elevator or vibrator constructed in accordance with the invention.

It is an object of the invention therefore to provide an apparatus which simplifies the task of changing ribbons.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus whereby inked printing ribbons may be changed without at any time having to touch the ribbon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ribbon elevator or vibrator which in combination with a ribbon carrying cartridge enables a ribbon to be installed on a typewriter without at any time having to touch the ribbon.

A further object 'of the invention is the provision of disposable permanent containers for an inked printing ribbon and ribbon spools which may be installed upon or removed from typewriting and like printing machines without having to handle the ribbon at any time.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of separably joined disposable containers or cartridges for permanently housing prewound ribbon reels whereby the fingers of a person changing the ribbon of a typewriting machine are not required to touch the ribbon.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages :of this invention willbe readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

Figure 1 is a rear end view of apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a type guide and a ribbon elevator or vibrator modified in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the apparatus in accordance with the invention as it will appear after installation on a typewriter.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views there is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 a cartridge, generally designated by reference numeral comprising a pair of separably joined box-like containers 11 and 12 of any suitable material which is adapted to house a pair of ribbon spools 13 and 14.

The containers, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, are substantially pear-shaped, having stem portions 15 and 16 and enlarged circular portions 17 and 18 respectively. Flanges 21 and 22 (Figure 5) vertically displaced with respect to one another are affixed by any suitable means to the adjacent stem portion walls 23 and 24. Each flange is provided with a suitably shaped cutout 25 for reasons which will hereinafter appear. The ends of the stern portions 15 and 16 are truncated through a plane perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and at a predetermined acute angle to a horizontal line thereby forming openings 26 and 27 (Figure 5) for enabling a ribbon 28 wound on the spools or reels 13 and 14 to extend between the containers wherein the spools are mounted. As most clearly seen in Figure 5 the opposite stem portion walls 31 and 32 of adjacent containers extend beyond the open truncated ends of the stem portions there by forming tongues or container tips 33 and 34 which are adapted to cooperate with a ribbon elevator frame generally designated by reference numberal 35. The elevator frame 35, as is apparent from the figures, comprises four spaced vertical legs 36, 37, 41 and 42 respectively. The lower ends of all the vertical legs are joined in spaced relation by a common cross piece 43 (Figure 1) while the upper ends of legs 36 and 37 and the upper ends of legs 41 and 42 are joined in spaced relation by cross pieces 44 and 45 thereby forming two ribbon eyes 46 and 47 (Figures 2 and 5).

In assembling a cartridge 10, the ribbon is threaded in the eyes 46 and 47 of the ribbon elevator frame and then wound upon ribbon spools 13 and 14. The ribbon spools 13 and 14 are then placed in the corn tainers 11 and 12 with that portion 52 of the ribbon extending between the spools lying within the openings 26 and 27 in the truncated ends of the containers. The containers are then brought into close proximity whereby the tongues 33 and 34 may be pressed within the eyes 46 and 47 respectively of the ribbon elevator frame 35. Thereafter the flanges 21 on adjacent stem portion walls 23 and 24 are brought into overlapping relation with the cutouts 25 therein in registry with one another. A suitable retaining pin is then pressed into the aligned cutouts whereby the containers 11 and 12 are held together. Thereupon the bottoms 53 (Figure 1) of the containers are suitably secured to the walls of the con tainers to form a complete cartridge which may be stored until it is desired to install the ribbon on a typewriting machine. It is to be noted from Figures 2 and 3 that when the containers are joined the truncated ends thereof are flush with the ribbon elevator frame; the elevator frame being securely held in this relationship by the tongues 33 and 34, which overlap the legs 37 and 41 of the frame. It is to be further noted that the ribbon is As will be understood by those conversant with the art, openings or apertures will be provided in the bottoms 53 of the containers and spools wherebythe spools may be operatively connected to any conventionaliribbon spool drive when the containers are placed in the ribbon cups of a typewriter. The tops 54 of the containers are provided with circular openings 55 whereby the spools may be gripped to prevent their rotation when mounting or removing the apparatus from a typewriting machine.

Referring now to Figure 4 there is shown the upper portion of a conventional type bar guide 56 mounted for wardly of a modified ribbon elevator or vibrator 57. As is apparent from the figure the vibrator 57 comprises two upper vertical legs 58 which are slotted or formed with U-shaped channels 59 that face one another thereby to embrace the legs 36 and 42 of the elevator frame 35 as seen in Figure 5.

To install the ribbon 28 upon a typewriter or like printing machine, containers 11 and 12 of the cartridge 10 are held, one in each hand between the thumb and fingers, with the elevator frame 35 directly above the elevator 57 and in line with the slots 59. As is apparent from Figures 4 and 5 the type bar guide 56 serves to guide the elevator frame 35 as it is pressed into the elevator slots 59 by the tongues 33 and 34 on the containers. Continued downward movement of the cartridge brings the rectangular portion 61 (Figure 5) of retaining pin 51 into engagement with the forward ends of type bar guide 56 to dislodge the retaining pin 51 from the cutouts 25 in flanges 21 and 22 respectively. With the containers 11 and 12 thus separated, the tongues 33 and 34 are pulled out of the eyes 46 and 47 of the elevator frame 35 and the containers are then moved laterally to emplacement within the ribbon cups with the spool hubs 62 in engagement with the conventional turning shafts (not shown). The ends of the ribbon are secured to the hubs of spools 13 and 14 in any convenient manner so that when one or another of the spools is emptied the container housing of the empty spool will be pulled against conventional ribbon reversing mechanism such as the lever 63.

Removal of the ribbon is accomplished by lifting the containers out of the ribbon cups, reinserting the tongues 33 and 34 in the ribbon elevator frame 35 and lifting out, the elevator frame 35, or after lifting out the containers, by gripping the containers between thumb and fingers, with the thumbs on the spools to prevent un winding of the ribbons, and then by drawing upward until the elevator frame 35 is pulled out of the slot 59 of the elevator 57.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and thatit is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute-departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for typewriting machines adapted to facilitate ribbon changes without the necessity for touching the ribbon comprising a cartridgehaving two separably joined containers, an elevator frame, a ribbon threaded through said frame, spools prewound with said ribbon within said containers, and means on said containers for holding said ribbon threaded frame between said containers.

2. An apparatus for facilitating ribbon changes without the necessity for touching the ribbon adapted for use in typewriting machines having a slotted ribbon elevator and a type bar guide, said apparatus comprising a cartridge, said cartridge comprising a pair of containers each having at least one opening, removable means for holding said containers adjacent one another, spools prewound with an inked printing ribbon within said containers, a portion of said ribbon extending between said containers through said openings, an elevator frame prethreaded on said ribbon portion disposed between said containers, and means on said containers for holding said elevator frame between said containers, said slotted elevator being adapted to receive said elevator frame and said type guide being adapted to eject said removable means upon depression of the cartridge on said, typewritting machine References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

